Sensitivity and specificity of microRNA-204, CA125, and CA19.9 as biomarkers for diagnosis of ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is usually detected at later stages and no effective screening approach, has been identified. Therefore, sensitive and specific biomarkers for detecting ovarian cancer are urgently needed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of six biomarkers for the early clinical diagnosis of ovarian cancer. SUBJECTS & METHODS: The study included 120 patients (benign ovarian tumors and early and late ovarian carcinoma) and 30 control healthy volunteers. MiRNA-204, CA125, CA19.9, hepcidin, microfibril-associated glycoprotein 2, and ferroportin levels were determined in all patients and control volunteers. RESULTS: The combined area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for miRNA-204, CA125, and CA19.9 were 0.938, 1.000, and 0.998 for benign tumors and early and late ovarian carcinomas, respectively. The sensitivities of miRNA-204, CA125, and CA19.9 were 98.04%, 100.00%, and 96.19% and the specificities were 58.33%, 62.50%, and 57.78%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The positive predictivity of miRNA-204, CA125, and CA19.9 for ovarian cancer is high (59.57%, 58.24%, and 61.67%, respectively). Thus, the combination of these three biomarkers is a good diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer.